


Comprehending Context Clues

by Cielestine_de_Winter



Category: teen wolf - Fandom
Genre: Author!Stiles, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Oblivious Stiles, Pack ships it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-07-24 20:29:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20020564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cielestine_de_Winter/pseuds/Cielestine_de_Winter
Summary: Stiles is really smart.  But he’s also kind of oblivious.  Especially when it comes to Derek Hale.





	Comprehending Context Clues

Stiles wondered absently if he could use his magic to trigger the fire alarm. Actually, after 10 minutes of being completely bored with his blind date, the original through centered around an earthquake or some other natural disaster. However, knowing his luck, his father would probably hear about it and then Stiles would spend the weekend explaining to his dad why his bad date was justifiable reason to create a natural disaster. After 30 seconds of having that argument play out in his head, Stiles downgraded to the fire alarm. 

To be honest, his date wasn’t terrible. The man was a few inches taller than Stiles and comfortably toned. Not sculpted out of sun-kissed marble, but very few people were. So Steven was pretty good looking. His sharp brown eyes and dark hair were passably attractive. Even his personality wasn’t too off putting. He was a little straight laced and serious, but occasionally hinted at a sense of humor. 

And he was smart. He spoke with an air of authority that seemed to be backed up with facts. Talking with Steven wasn’t in any way a chore. They had a lot to talk about. Dinner flew by and instead of going to the movies as they had originally planned, Stiles found himself listening to Steven order them dessert. So it wasn’t… bad. 

There was just this little itch under Stiles’s skin that had Stiles backing away. It wasn’t anything Steven had done. He was almost shockingly a perfect gentleman. He shook Stiles’s hand firmly and put his hand on the small of Stiles’s back as they walked to the car. Where he proceeded to open and close the door for him. 

Steven had even thought to get them reservations as the second nicest restaurant in town, where Stiles would most certainly be paying his own way, thank you very much. Steven ordered wine for the table and gave some helpful suggestions on what to eat before the waiter came and he ordered for the table, getting Stiles’s selection perfect. 

It was… nice? 

Stiles started worrying about how he was going to make a graceful exit when Steven reached out and put his hand on Stiles. “I had a good time…” 

“Stiles!?” 

Stiles looked away from Steven to find Erica gaping at him. Her eyes travelled from his eyes to the floor, then zeroed on on where Steven hand lay on top of his. She walked over swiftly with Boyd following behind her. “Stiles! Thank god you’re here!” She pulled a chair from the empty table and placed it between them. She took Stiles’s arm, pulling it away from Steven. “I’ve been debating with Boyd on what we should pick up for Derek. Boyd was insisting on the apple crisp, but I think Derek’s more of a chocolate guy, you know? I figure we have to get something amazing for him since he did save our lives… Again.” Erica looked at Steven. “I mean, it’s only the right thing to do, isn’t it?” 

Steven looked slightly annoyed, but at Erica’s slightly unnerving stare, Steven started nodding. 

“And since you and Derek get each on a strangely cosmic level, I figure you would know which on to get.” Erica finished. 

Stiles blinked. “Um. The chocolate brownie.” 

Erica smiled brightly. “Good. I’m glad I insisted on getting both. Oh! Can I use your key to get into his loft? He still maintains that you’re the only one he trusts with a spare key, and I want to surprise him. I know, why don’t you just come with us. That way, if Derek wants to split his desserts with someone, you’ll be there.” Erica tugged on his arm. 

“Um,” Stiles said blinking again. Everything she said was technically true, but put together, it all sounded very sorted. Stiles glanced at Steven’s increasingly unhappy look. 

“Look, why don’t you go be with Derek,” Steven said shortly, standing up. The waitress quickly walked over with their chocolate fondue. “Please, get it to go,” he said pulling out his wallet and dropping money on the table. “It was nice meeting you, Stiles.” He turned and walked out. 

The waitress looked at Stiles nervously. “Please wrap it up to go,” he said in a small resigned voice. She scurried away. Stiles looked up at Erica. “What is happening here?” 

“We’re going to drop you off at Derek’s and then my man and I are going to get it on.” 

“At Derek’s?” Stiles exclaimed. 

Erica rolled her eyes. “At ours, idiot.” She counted the money and took the bill from the flustered waitress. She blinked and handed the woman the money before standing up and leading them to the car. 

Stiles didn’t move for a second, but Boyd glanced over at him. “Come on,” he said quietly. 

When Stiles stepped out of the restaurant he looked at Erica who was inspecting her nails. “What was that all about?” 

“We bailed you out of a potentially awkward date ending,” she informed him as he climbed into Boyd’s car. “He was too controlling and full of himself. I mean seriously. He ordered for you.” 

“He was being nice?” Stiles said weakly. “How long were you listening?” 

Erica rolled her eyes and changed the subject. She regaled Boyd and Stiles with her very detailed description of how she wanted to end her night. 

  
  


Stiles still wasn’t exactly sure what happened as he stood outside of Derek’s door holding three different desserts, alone. Erica and Boyd barely stopped the car before pushing him out. Stiles shook his head and raised his hand to knock when the door swung open. 

Derek looked at him with raised eyebrows. “Erica sent me a text and told me to open my door,” he said turning so Stiles could walk in. 

“Yea, we’re still working on her communication skills. You have any milk?” 

Derek wandered into the kitchen presumably to get milk as Stiles started setting up on the coffee table. “I think Erica’s pregnant. That or crazy. I can’t tell which.” 

Derek walked into the living room carrying two glasses of milk and stopped. 

“I know, nuts. But hear me out.” Stiles said moving around the coffee table, getting things set up perfectly. “She and Boyd were at Trellis. Definitely a celebration like place. She also went on at length about what she was planning on doing with Boyd when they dropped me off. Like the whole way here. Her normal hypersex drive doesn’t account for that. Plus, Boyd had this weird happy glow around him. Maybe they are pregnant.” He looked up and noticed that Derek was staring at him. “What?” He said looking around. 

“You’re wearing a suit.” 

Stiles looked down as though just realizing that he was, in fact, wearing the suit that Lydia had picked out for him. Predictably, it was the most expensive ensemble he owned what with her tastes and the cost of tailoring, but the look on her face when she saw him in it made him not mind the expense. “Yea, Lydia picked it out for me.” 

“Why are you wearing a suit?” 

Stiles shrugged off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, blissfully ignorant of the sweet torture he was inflicting on the alpha. “I was on a date. My editor set it up. She thinks I need to settle down.” Stiles kicked off his shiny, good quality shoes and made himself comfortable on the couch. 

Derek forced himself to move over to the couch. He sat down next to Stiles, close enough for them to touch arms. “Looks good on you.” 

“Thanks,” Stiles shrugged digging into the apple crisp. “I should have her pick out all my clothes.” 

Derek hummed, bumping Stiles’s arm and taking a bite of his dessert. “She has good taste.” Derek agreed. “So, date didn’t go well?” He said in a strictly neutral. 

“No,” Stiles said waving his hand. “Steven was great. Erica thought he was too controlling and full of himself.” Stiles shrugged. “He ordered for me.” 

Derek didn’t have an answer to that so he just stole a bite of the dessert. 

  
  


Stiles was sitting on a park bench with Tanya, a copy writer who worked with his publisher. She had cornered him as he was walking out of the building and suggested they get lunch. Stiles had plans with Derek later to get dinner, so he countered with getting ice cream at the park. There was a great little ice cream place that had just opened up and Stiles was dying to try it. Bizarrely, Tanya ordered a tiny cone and made an awkward joke about staying thin. 

Stiles, with his usually lack of filter, told her she looked amazing without a thought. She was stick thin and had that gaunt underfed look to her. But he paid for both their ice cream and led her to the park where they found a nice bench in the sun. 

“… and so I had to get those shoes to match my earring, right?” Tanya said with her eyes wide. “Don’t you think they look great together?” 

“Um, why would you want your earrings to match your shoes?” Stiles asked looking at the 4 inch stilettos she was wearing. “They can’t be comfortable.” 

Tanya laughed and toyed with her hair. “You’re so funny, Stiles.” She said scooting over to sit closer to him. “I bet with the money you make with your books you have a whole closet full of designer clothes! I bet your bedroom,” Tanya paused and did this weird thing with her hair, “is stunning.” 

Stiles was pretty positive that they were having two different conversations. Which was crazy because who in their right mind would want to see his bedroom. 

“Hello, Stiles.” 

Stiles turned and saw Lydia walking arm and arm with Allison. He waved at them happily. “I didn’t know you were in town. Tanya and I just went to that new ice cream place. It’s great!” 

Allison snorted and Stiles looked at her with a puzzled smile, completely missing the unfriendly smiles Tanya and Lydia exchanged. “I’m here for Alli’s baby shower,” Lydia said sweetly. “You should come with us, so you can get an idea of what you need when you and Derek adopt.” 

Stiles frowned. “What would Derek and I be adopting?” He asked, confused. 

That was exactly the moment when Allison’s pregnancy brain kicked in. “Oh my god!” She exclaimed, tears coming to her eyes. “Yes! You have to come with us! I don’t know when the next time Lydia and you are both here together. Please.” Yep, and pregnancy hormones. 

“Of course, Alli,” Stiles said gently. Allison was a BAMF person in general. If Scott’s descriptions of what these mood swings were like, Stiles needed to tread carefully and get her to the nearest piece of chocolate that he could find. “You know, why don’t we get ice cream?” He said standing up. Allison grabbed his arm and held it close as Lydia smiled brightly. 

“Stiles?” Tanya called in a snotty offended voice. 

Stiles looked back at her having forgotten her when they had fallen into their current wormhole. “I’m sorry, Tanya. We’ll catch up later, okay?” 

Lydia took his other arm and they walked to the ice cream store. 

  
  


Cora had fucking radar when it came to bullshit. Especially when it started jerking around her friends. She and Isaac had taken a get away weekend trip to New York. Because seriously, Beacon Hill had drama that soap operas couldn’t match. You would have thought when everyone married every one else, her idiot brother might have gotten a clue. Or her dumber than a box of rocks friend would have figured it out. But, no. That would make too much fucking sense. 

So as it was, Idiot was sulking at home because his ‘best friend’, Box Of Rocks, went on another of his stupid secret trips that Scott didn’t even know the purpose of. If they just followed her advice and put a microchip in him this wouldn’t be a problem. 

Anyways, having crossed the country to get away from their overly dramatic pack-mates, the last person Cora and Isaac expected to see was Box of Rocks himself, Stiles Stilinski. He was sitting crushed to the wall of his booth, surrounded by identical twins. On the table was Stiles’s beat up laptop and next to it a stack of books. He was holding his backpack against him like a shield. There were two cups of coffee in front of him, one that was almost empty, and one that hadn’t been touched. 

Several things occurred to Cora as she studied the situation. She turned to Isaac and they shared a look. Isaac sighed and went to the counter to get them coffee. Cora walked up to the the booth. “Hey, Stiles.” She looked at the girls how were sitting way too close to be casual in their interest. To her pleasure they leaned slightly away from Stiles. 

“Cora!” Stiles smiled happily. “I didn’t know you were here!” 

“Yea, there’s a Tim Burton exhibit at MoMa. Isaac and I flew in to catch it.” She coldly looked the the twins who were shooting bullets with their eyes. “Why don’t you drop this pair of horny wanna be lesbian witches and come with?” 

One of the girls actually hissed at Cora. 

Cora leaned forward and flashed her gold eyes at them. “Bitch please.” 

By the time Isaac got to the table, the twins were gone and Cora was sitting across from Stiles trading sarcasm. 

  
  
So, it turns out that Stiles’s mysterious trips were to win awards. Who knew? 

Certainly not his father who lost it with him and made him bring out every single one of his awards. Stiles was smart enough to have stored them in a couple of boxes in one of the empty rooms in Derek’s building. (There actually were quite a few. Stiles apparently wrote under a number of pseudonyms. Last time they’re going to believe that he just wrote textbooks. Bastard.) 

Which somehow led to a conversation where it came out that Stiles had paid the mortgage off for the house and was now putting money into John’s retirement fund. 

And somehow that led them to John not being ready to retire, but if he was, he’d probably stick around Beacon Hills. 

Stiles mentioned that he was sticking around. 

And then the conversation got really interesting. 

Stiles had always wanted to live in a city. He would have a chance to meet more Sparks like himself. John argued. 

Stiles pointed out that supernaturals, though hidden, were everywhere. And that he would be a target everywhere. And then somehow linked that to John’s feeling about Melissa. 

Tears filled John’s eyes when he admitted his feelings. 

Which led to Stiles urging him to go for it. 

To which John somehow linked to Derek. 

Stiles looked baffled and Derek had enough. The pack had gathered at his loft for movie night and now they were eating junk food watching Stiles and his father fight. Or what ever they were doing. He quickly ushered them out and climbed into his car and pulled out. He could get coffee at the diner. 

  
  


Derek and Stiles were doing some last minute Christmas shopping in San Francisco. They ducked into a bookstore and Derek grabbed Stiles to keep him from slipping on some ice. They laughed as they pulled each other into the warmth of the store, interrupting a reading that had been occurring. Stiles looked up and blanched. Standing at the podium was Steven. 

Ugh, the guy he had been dodging for the last several months. 

“Well, it seems you’re in for a treat, friends,” Steven said, his perfect white teeth showing slightly in his slightly annoyed smile. “This is my colleague. You may know him better as Max Emerson.” 

Whatever reaction Steven was trying to get was definitely was not what he achieved. His audience instead of giving them the stink eye for interrupting them actually flocked to them. Whatever Max Emerson wrote was popular. Very, very popular. 

Unfortunately, Steven hadn’t mentioned which ‘them’ was Max Emerson and the women took a look at the two and decided Derek Hale was the esteemed historical romance writer who wrote the best smut, while still not crossing the line to actual porn. 

Stiles was amused as he was pushed away from Derek and into some bookshelves. By the time the doors closed with Derek and Stiles’s safely locked inside with a 4 person police detail, Stiles had been stepped on, kicked, and tripped over multiple times. 

What didn’t amuse him was the fact that Derek’s shirt had been torn to spreads around him and the haunted, violated look in his eyes. 

“No,” Stiles shouted. “No, it’s not okay. Steven, he got hurt! What don’t you understand about privacy?!” 

“Seriously, your boyfriend got groped by a bunch of horny women. Maybe if you didn’t write trash you would have troubles with your fan base.” Steven turned to Derek. “And if you didn’t know, I’m his side piece. You might want to keep a tighter leash on that one.” Steven turned away and started to the door. 

“Do you want to press charges?” One of the officers asked. Steven stopped in his tracks and huffed. 

Stiles looked at Derek. “Do you?” 

Derek looked at him surprised. “Why would…” 

“You were just as attacked as I was,” Stiles said sadly. 

Steven snorted. 

One of the cops next to Steven had a quick intake of breath. “You know what? Why don’t you two take the night and think about it. We should bring him in.” He said taking out his cuffs. The other cops rushed to help him. 

“On what charges?” Steven snapped. 

“Attempted murder sounds about right,” one of the cops said quietly as the cop with the cuffs read Steven his rights. 

“This is ridiculous!” Steven shouted as he was cuffed. “I hope you have a good lawyer, you’re going to need him!” 

The cops questioned Derek and Stiles for a little while more, then Stiles declined a ride to the hospital. As Derek and Stiles walked shoulder to shoulder through the brisk weather. Derek thought hard on how to bring the mood back up; he could feel the guilt and self loathing that radiated from the other man. Finally he sighed. “You could always tell him your lawyer is a werewolf with paralyzing venom. Or that his wife is a banshee, social media maven who could destroy him in seconds.” 

Stiles smiled and the tension eased out of his shoulders. “Yea?” He said casually brushing his hands against Derek’s. 

Derek swallowed nervously. “Or you could tell him that your boyfriend is actually an Alpha werewolf who actually would rip his throat out.” 

“With his teeth?” Stiles said haltingly. He flexed his fingers and intertwined them with Derek’s. 

Derek tightened his fingers around Stiles’s then took his hand properly. “Yea.” 


End file.
